Politician and Nollywood veteran Kenneth Okonkwo has stated that the presidential ticket of the newly formed All Democratic Alliance (ADA) will be open to aspirants from all geopolitical zones of Nigeria.
Okonkwo, a former spokesperson for Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, made this known during an appearance on Sunday Politics, a current affairs programme on Channels Television.
He emphasised that the ADA will uphold internal democracy by allowing candidates from all regions to freely vie for its presidential nomination ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“I have said it clearly, nobody is going to stop anybody from contesting for the presidential ticket in the coalition, nobody,” Okonkwo asserted during the live interview.
The All Democratic Alliance (ADA) is a political coalition formed by some of the country’s opposition political figures seeking an alternative platform to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Among those reportedly involved in the coalition are former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former Governors Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers); Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi; and former Senate President David Mark.
Addressing concerns about zoning and power rotation, Okonkwo warned against relying on gentlemen’s agreements or informal promises within party ranks.
“Politicians have shown that it is very difficult to trust them even when the person promises one term. So, if somebody has taken a term from the South and it is in the middle of the game and the person is not performing like Tinubu, you are going to get into a problem,” he explained.
He continued: “If you get another Southerner, he is going to stay there for eight years. The North will say no, this is injustice. Nobody will allow Tinubu to continue because he is not performing. So, the best is to throw it open. When the best comes in, every other person will support him and the person will promise to do four years.”
